The present invention relates to a connector for connecting wire harnesses provided in an automotive vehicle or the like, and more particularly, to method and device for removing a metal terminal retained in a housing of the connector therefrom.
FIG. 8 shows a male connector housing a, a female metal terminal b, and a conventional jig c for removing the terminal from the housing. The connector housing a includes a flexible engagement portion a2 projecting forward as a cantilever into a terminal chamber a1 of the housing, and a stopper a3 provided at the front end of the housing. The metal terminal b includes a female electric contact portion b1 at the front end of the terminal, and an electric wire connecting portion b2 at the rear end of the terminal. An electric wire d is coupled to the terminal b. The jig c includes a holding portion c1, and a pushing-up portion c3 extending from the holding portion and having a sharp-edged end part c2 whose height gradually decreases toward the front end of the pushing-up portion. As shown in FIG. 9, the metal terminal b is fixedly supported in the terminal chamber a1 of the connector housing a in such a manner that the electric contact portion b1 of the terminal is engaged at the front end of the portion with the stopper a3 of the connector housing and engaged at the shoulders of the rear end of the contact portion with the engagement part a4 of the flexible engagement portion a2 of the connector housing. To remove the metal terminal b from the connector housing a, the housing is held with a hand, and the jig c is held at the holding portion c1 thereof with another hand and inserted into the terminal chamber a1 of the housing from the front end thereof so that the sharp-edged end part c2 of the pushing-up portion c3 of the jig is pushed into the gap between the inner surface of the bottom part of the electric contact portion b1 of the terminal and the bottom of the engagement part a4 of the engagement portion a2 of the housing to move the engagement portion to disengage it from the terminal. After that, the hand holding jig c is moved to hold the connector housing a as well as the jig, and the other hand is moved off the housing and caused to pull the electric wire d to remove the terminal b from the housing. This conventional art was disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication No. Sho. 59-36863.
In the conventional art, three steps of operation, which are supporting the connector housing a, manipulating the jig c and pulling the electric wire d away from the connector housing, need to be done by both the hands. For that reason, it is relatively troublesome to remove the metal terminal b from the connector housing a. This is a problem. Further, the flexible engagement portion a2 of the housing a is likely to be damaged by the jig c. This is also a problem.